General Douglas MacArthur has cast a long shadow over American history, and not just because of his famous farewell. “Old Soldiers never die. They just fade away.” American presidents were also like that. Before Barack Obama’s election, former presidents were more or less expected to refrain from commenting about the policies of their successors, their successes or failures.
All that has changed. George W. Bush is a former president who has shown a bit of class by staying out of the political wars surrounding the presidential election of 2024. Or is he not?
Former President George W. Bush has no plans to reveal who he will be voting for in the 2024 elections.
The former president’s staff said “No” when asked by NBC News if he or the former First Lady Laura Bush would publicly endorse a particular candidate. “President Bush retired years ago from presidential politics.”
Bush’s refusal of a public endorsement came just one day after Dick Cheney, his former vice president announced that he was going to support Kamala Harris, the Vice President, in November, against the candidate of his party.
It is a shame that George W. Bush’s former vice president, and some members of his staff do not show the same restraint. Dick “Darth Vader Cheney” and others have fled to the other party. It’s difficult to forgive.
But here’s the thing: The former President Bush has endorsed in the past. This appears to be an evolution since 2016 if you remember the GOP candidate from 2016.
Bush’s Office argued that the former president had “retired” from presidential politics many years ago, but he has endorsed Republican presidential candidates before. He supported the 2008 campaign of then-Senator John McCain against former President Barack Obama. In 2012, he backed Sen. Mitt Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Bush’s position on presidential politics changed when former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016. Bush chose not to comment on Trump. Bush focused his attention on Republican senators. In November, Bush’s office stated that the former president and his wife did not vote in 2016 for any major party candidates.
It seems the former President Bush chose to fade out only after Donald Trump walked down the gold escalator. That’s revealing.
Bushes can vote however they want, but unlike Dick Cheney, they seem to follow my mother’s rule: “If you cannot say anything nice, then don’t even say anything.” Maybe the Bushes aren’t fond of Donald Trump. It seems a bit insane that they would go to the extreme left, and in the case of Cheney, endorse Kamala Harris who is not just manifestly unfit but is also the most radical left ideologue ever to run for the White House.
It is largely due to the mess Donald Trump left behind for the GOP establishment types. Donald Trump, like the bull in a china store, has created a mess that’s thrown a lot of light on some dark corners. This is a great thing and should be repeated daily and twice on Sunday. It’s a pity that the old establishment types can’t see this.
